Taqwa
Part I
Murtada Mutahhari
“Is he who founds his building on God wariness
and [the pursuit of Allah's] pleasure better off or
he who founds his building on the brink of a
collapsing bank which collapses with him into the
fire of hell? And Allah does not guide the
wrongdoing lot.” (9:109)
The term taqwa
Taqwa is the Islamic concept of having self-restraint. It is used
251 times in the Holy Qur’an as either a noun or a verb. The
term taqwa comes from the Arabic root “wa-qa-ya” which means
“protection” or “support.” Taqwa is not meant to mean “fear” or
“avoidance”, but because having fear is a prerequisite to
protecting oneself from something and to avoid it, it may
sometimes refer to having fear. Also, since protection from
something requires a feeling of fear alongside it, it may in some
cases metaphorically refer to “avoidance” or “fear”. Both
meanings are accurate although there is no evidence to confirm
that this metaphorically means “fear” or “restraint.” While it is
widely believed that the commands ittaqu’llah means “fear
Allah” and ittaqunnar means “fear fire,” these commands
actually refer to protecting oneself from Allah’s punishment and
Message of Thaqalayn
46
the harm of fire. Moreover, those who practice self-control by
refraining from acting upon desires that require patience and a
resolute attitude are called muttaqeen, which is an Arabic term
for “those who practice taqwa.”
It is important to note that taqwa is not about performing
religious obligations such as prayer and fasting: it is about living
a pious life. A person possessing taqwa abandons living an
animalistic life and chooses to live a moral one. Though there are
other definitions of it, such as social and political taqwa, religious
taqwa has a more superior and elevated status. It is only on the
basis of religion that a person can create a well-grounded taqwa
in himself. As stated in the Qur’an:
Is he who founds his building on God wariness and
[the pursuit of Allah's] pleasure better-off or he
who founds his building on the brink of a
collapsing bank… (9:109)
In his Al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur’an, Rāghib says that the
meaning of the word wa-qa-ya is to protect something against
everything which may damage it and taqwā means to put the soul
under protection against whatever threatens it. However,
sometimes according to the rule of using the cause instead of the
effect and vice versa, the words fear and taqwā are used
interchangeably. In religious law, taqwā means keeping one’s self
from whatever leads him to commit sins so that he refrains from
prohibited acts. Rāghib explicitly says that taqwā simply means
to protect oneself. He also says that this word can be translated as
fear and does not denote that in the example of ittaqu’llah the
metaphoric meaning is intended. And as we said, there is no
reason to affirm that in such sentences any metaphor is used. The
strange thing is that this word is translated as restraint
(parhizkari) in Farsi. It has never been seen that any linguist ever
claims that this word is used in this meaning. As it was
mentioned before, Rāghib translated this word as fear but did not
use it as restraint. It is not certain where, when, and why this
47
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
word became translated as piety in Farsi. I suppose that only
Farsi-speaking people get the meaning of restraint from the word
taqwā. No Arabic-speaking person understands this word in this
way. There is no doubt that in practice, the prerequisite of having
taqwā and self-protection for something is to avoid it, but it does
not mean that the word “taqwā” has this meaning.
Fear of God
It is necessary to understand that it is not expected for one to
harbour negative thoughts of God when fearing Him. God is not
meant to be viewed as an abominable or frightening entity.
Rather, God is absolute perfection and the best source for a
human being to love. The concept of human beings having to fear
God actually refers to fearing the rule of divine justice. This
notion is seen in the following supplication:
‫ ﻭ ﻻ ﻳﺨﺎﻑ ﺍﻻ ﻋﺪﻟﻪ‬، ‫ﻳﺎ ﻣﻦ ﻻ ﻳﺮﺟﯽ ﺍﻻ ﻓﻀﻠﻪ‬
O Who is not hoped but for His favour, and is not
feared but His justice.1
The notion of fearing His justice is seen in another supplication:
‫ ﻭ ﺍﻥ ﻳﺮﺟﯽ ﻣﻨﻚ ﺍﻻ‬، ‫ﺟﻠﻠﺖ ﺍﻥ ﻳﺨﺎﻑ ﻣﻨﻚ ﺍﻻ ﺍﻟﻌﺪﻝ‬
‫ﺍﻻﺣﺴﺎﻥ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻔﻀﻞ‬
You are too great to be feared but Your justice,
and to hoped but for Your beneficence and
favour.2
Justice in itself is not a vile entity. Fearing justice actually alludes
to fearing oneself because of his past wrongs or a person fears
that he may break the limit and violate other people’s rights in the
future. As for the issue of fear and hope where a believer must
always be hopeful and optimistic while simultaneously fearful
and worried, it means that he must always be fearful of
Message of Thaqalayn
48
transgressing in following his unquenchable desires so that they
never take the rein of his affairs from his reasoning and his faith,
while at the same time he must be hopeful and confident in God,
and to rely on God who will always help him. Imam Ali ibn
Husayn (a) states in the well-known Du‘a of Abu amzah
Thūmālī:
‫ﺇﺫﺍ ﺭﺃﻳﺖ ﻣﻮﻻﻱ ﺫﻧﻮﺑﻲ ﻓﺰﻋﺖ ﻭ ﺇﺫﺍ ﺭﺃﻳﺖ ﻛﺮﻣﻚ ﻁﻤﻌﺖ‬
O My Lord! When I look at the sins I have
committed, I become fearful and when I look at
Your generosity, I harbour hope. 3
The meaning of taqwa
Taqwa is the prerequisite for a person who wants to live his life
by certain principles, whether they are religious or not, and he is
to have a clear direction in order to move towards a specific goal.
In doing so, he is to protect himself against transitional desires
inconsistent with his goals and principles. Thus, taqwa in a
broader sense is a requirement for everyone who wants to be a
true human being, live under control of reason, and follow certain
principles. In religious context, taqwa is the quality of those who
protect themselves from all that is considered by religion as
wrong and sinful. In stating this, there are two kinds of taqwa: the
first is just to avoid facing situations, in which sins may take
place and this is the quality of the weak people and leads to
seclusion and isolation, while the second is to face challenges and
remain persistent and this is the quality of those who are strong in
their faith and can play an active role in society.
According to the first type, a person protects himself from sins by
refraining from a situation that leads to committing one. This is
similar to a person who avoids an infested environment to protect
his health. According to the second type, a person creates a state
and power in his soul that gives him a spiritual and moral
security. That is, if he does find himself in a situation where the
49
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
means and causes of sin are around him, that spiritual state
protects him and prevents him from committing sins. This is
similar to a person who creates a medical immunity in his body
so that the microbes of the diseases have no effect on his health.
Now, laymen consider taqwā to be the first type. For those who
are said to have taqwā, it usually means that he is a cautious man
who secludes himself in an isolated corner and refrains from the
causes of sin. It has been understood this way because the word
taqwā has always been translated for us as abstinence. Moreover,
abstinence from sin has been gradually construed as avoiding the
grounds for sins; later on the meaning changed into isolation and
avoiding society. Thus, when this word is heard in ordinary
conversation, a state of avoidance and reluctance comes to mind.
Though the prerequisite of leading a reasonable life is to follow
specific principles, it is not wise to avoid social life in doing so.
The key to living the right way is to create a state of immunity in
our soul that eventually protects us. Sa‘dī, in his famous book of
poetry Gulistan, says:
I beheld an illustrious man in a mountain region
Who had contentedly retired from the world into
a Cave
Why, said I, comest thou not into the city
For once to relax the bonds of thy heart?
He replied: ‘Fairy –faced maidens are there.
When clay is plentiful, elephants will stumble.’4
In the above poem, the man who secluded himself in the
mountains refrains from returning to the city because of the
“fairy-faced maidens” who may eventually cause him to
“stumble.” This is the first kind of “taqwa”. However, it is not to
Message of Thaqalayn
50
a person’s advantage to keep himself away from a slippery
surface to refrain from slipping. Better than that is to know how
to walk on it without losing his balance. Baba Taher says:
Beneath the tyranny of eyes and heart I cry,
For, all the eyes see, the heart stores up:
I'll fashion me a pointed sword of steel,
Put out mine eyes, and so set free my heart.
Undoubtedly, our heart will be captivated by everything our eyes
fall upon. However, blinding ourselves is not our only option. A
better way is to create a power in our heart so that our eyes do not
captivate our heart. If we want to make a dagger with an iron
point to release our heart from our eyes, we need another dagger
for our ears because everything our ears hear, our heart turns to it.
The same goes for the senses of tasting, touching, and smelling.
In this case, a human being becomes like a lion without a tail,
belly, and head which Mulawi (Jalal al-Dim Rumi) described in
his story in Mathnawi.
Pragmatic enforcement
In some books on spirituality, reference is made to some people
who used some practical method to force themselves to abide by
divine law. For example, they used to put pebbles in their mouths
to control their tongue from over-speaking or engaging in idle
and/or prohibited talk. Usually this type of approach is taken to
represent the perfect example of piety. However, imposing
pragmatic obligations on oneself in order to refrain from
committing sins does not necessarily mean one has perfected
himself. If we succeed in doing so and abstain from committing
sins, indeed, we have refrained from committing sins, yet our
soul has not changed. It is simply inactive because it has no
means to commit wrong.
51
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
Thus, true perfection lies in a person’s freedom to do wrong and
yet he chooses to refrain from sinning without practically
imposing anything on himself. These kinds of preventions may be
considered perfection only when they are seen as preliminaries to
primary stages of creating the attribute of piety. That is because
piety can be created after a course of opposing practices against
wrong acts. But the real essence of piety is far from these
practices. It is the great and potent holy state of the soul that
supports and protects human beings. One has to struggle to
achieve the true essence of piety.
Taqwa in Nahj al-Balaghah
The word “taqwa” is emphasized in the compilation of sermons
and sayings of Imam Ali (a) collectively known as Nahj alBalaghah, and it has always been used to mean the habit of
strengthening and taming the evil-prompting soul with its
unquenchable desires. In this book, Imam Ali (a) is quoted to
have said:
‫ﺇﻥ ﺗﻘﻮی ﷲ ﺣﻤﺖ ﺍﻭﻟﻴﺎء ﷲ ﻣﺤﺎﺭﻣﻪ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺰﻣﺖ ﻗﻠﻮﺑﻬﻢ‬
‫ﻣﺨﺎﻓﺘﻪ ﺣﺘﯽ ﺍﺳﻬﺮﺕ ﻟﻴﺎﻟﻴﻬﻢ ﻭ ﺍﻅﻤﺄﺕ ﻫﻮﺍﺟﺮﻫﻢ‬
Certainly fear of Allah has saved the lovers of
Allah from the unlawful and has given His dread
to their hearts till their nights are passed in
wakefulness and their noons in thirst.5
In this passage, Imam Ali (a) clearly explains the meaning of
“taqwa” as a spiritual state which saves people from committing
sins and considers fear of God as one of its results. Thus, taqwa
does not mean "to fear" but one of the consequences of it is that it
makes the hearts wary of Allah. As stated in the beginning,
ittaqu’llah does not mean the command to “fear God”. In another
hadith, Imam ‘Ali (a) says:
Message of Thaqalayn
52
‫ ﺍﻥ ﻣﻦ ﺻﺮﺣﺖ ﻟﻪ‬.‫ﺫﻣﺘﯽ ﺑﻤﺎ ﺃﻗﻮﻝ ﺭﻫﻴﻨﻪ ﻭ ﺍﻧﺎ ﺑﻪ ﺯﻋﻴﻢ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻌﺒﺮ ﻋﻤﺎ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻳﺪﻳﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻤﺜﻼﺕ ﺣﺠﺰﺗﻪ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮی ﻋﻦ ﺗﻘﺤﻢ‬
‫ ﺍﻻ ﻭ ﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﺨﻄﺎﻳﺎ ﺧﻴﻞ ﺷﻤﺲ ﺣﻤﻞ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬. . . ‫ﺍﻟﺸﺒﻬﺎﺕ‬
‫ﺍﻫﻠﻬﺎ ﻭ ﺧﻠﻌﺖ ﻟﺠﻤﻬﺎ ﻓﺘﻘﺤﻤﺖ ﺑﻬﻢ ﻓﯽ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺭ ﺍﻻ ﻭ ﺍﻥ‬
‫ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮی ﻣﻄﺎﻳﺎ ﺫﻟﻞ ﺣﻤﻞ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ ﺍﻫﻠﻬﺎ ﻭ ﺍﻋﻄﻮﺍ ﺍﺯﻣﺘﻬﺎ‬
‫ﻓﺎﻭﺭﺩﺗﻬﻢ ﺍﻟﺠﻨﻪ‬
The responsibility for what I say is guaranteed and
I am answerable for it. He to whom experiences
have clearly shown the past exemplary
punishments (given by Allah to peoples) is
prevented by piety from falling into doubts…
Beware that sins are like unruly horses on whom
their riders have been placed and their reins have
been let loose so that they would jump with them
in Hell. Beware that piety is like trained horses on
which the riders have been placed with the reins in
their hands so that they would take the riders to
Heaven.6
In this sermon, the definition of taqwa is to control or to dominate
the soul. A person who is not strong enough to disobey his
desires and surrenders his control to his soul is likened to an
unskilled rider on an unruly horse who lacks willpower. The
prerequisite of taqwa and self-control is increasing one’s
willpower and having a spiritual and rational personality, like a
wise horseman who skilfully rides his horse, and his horse, in
turn, quickly obeys him. The person who is riding the unruly
horse of desires, lust, avarice, and ambition is dependent on these
vices and lets his reins of will slip away from his hands would not
be controlled by wisdom and insight. As for the one reliant upon
taqwa, it is like he is riding the horse of self-control and holds the
reins of will. He handles himself in all directions. In this regard,
Imam Ali (a) says:
53
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
‫ﻓﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮی ﻓﯽ ﺍﻟﻴﻮﻡ ﺍﻟﺤﺮﺯ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺠﻨﻪ ﻭ ﻓﯽ ﻏﺪ ﺍﻟﻄﺮﻳﻖ ﺍﻟﯽ‬
‫ﺍﻟﺠﻨﻪ‬
Certainly, for today piety is a protection and a
shield, and for tomorrow (the Day of Judgment) it
is the road to Paradise.7
The Imam (a) expands on piety by presenting a very moving
example:
‫ﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮی ﺩﺍﺭ ﺣﺼﻦ ﻋﺰﻳﺰ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻔﺠﻮﺭ ﺩﺍﺭ ﺣﺼﻦ ﺫﻟﻴﻞ ﻻ‬
‫ﻳﻤﻨﻊ ﺍﻫﻠﻪ ﻭ ﻻ ﻳﺤﺮﺯ ﻣﻦ ﻟﺠﺄ ﺍﻟﻴﻪ‬
Know, O creatures of Allah, that piety is a strong
house of protection while impiety is a weak house
which does not protect its people, and does not
give security to him who takes refuge therein.8
Here, piety (taqwa) is likened to a strong house of protection.
In yet another well-known sermon, titled “The Pious” (alMuttaqīn), Imam Ali (a) responds to the request of Hammām ibn
Shuray who had asked him (a) to describe who the pious are, so
much so that he could clearly visualize them. At first, Imam Ali
(a) gave a brief answer; however, Hammām was not contented
and insisted the Imam (a) expand on it. Thus, the Imam (a)
answered giving more than one hundred spiritual characteristics
and mental and moral qualities of the pious. According to
historians, as soon as the Imam (a) ended his speech, Hammām
was so impressed that he cried out and passed away.
Thus, it is clear that taqwa is a spiritual state which is like a
fortress, amulet, or a trained horse for the soul. In short, taqwa is
a spiritual power.
Message of Thaqalayn
54
Taqwa: freedom or restriction?
Taqwa is not a restriction; it is a protection. Even if we call taqwa
a restriction, then this restriction is truly a protection. Just as it is
erroneous to call a house a restriction even though it is built with
walls, rooms, solid doors, and windows to keep its inhabitants
safe from harmful weather and to keep its furniture and
equipment in safe areas, taqwa, like a house, is a protection. We
can call something a restriction when it deprives us of a gift or
happiness, but something that averts dangers from us and protects
us against them is a safety, not a restriction.
In the Qur’an, taqwa is defined as a garment in that it protects the
body from the cold and hot weather in the same way a house
protects people. In the Qur’an, after mentioning the clothing for
body, it is stated:
O' Children of Adam! We have certainly sent
down to you garments to cover your nakedness
and for adornment. Yet the garment of piety—that
is the best. That is [one] of God’s signs, so that
they may take admonition. (7:26)
In providing guidelines for having taqwa, Imam Ali (a) states in
one of his sermons:
‫ﺍﻻ ﻓﺼﻮﻧﻮﻫﺎ ﻭ ﺗﺼﻮﻧﻮﺍ ﺑﻬﺎ‬
…you should take care of it and take care of
yourselves through it….9
Furthermore, Imam Ali (a) holds that piety is a great cause of
freedom. He states:
‫ﻓﺎﻥ ﺗﻘﻮی ﷲ ﻣﻔﺘﺎﺡ ﺳﺪﺍﺩ ﻭ ﺫﺧﻴﺮﻩ ﻣﻌﺎﺩ ﻭ ﻋﺘﻖ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻞ‬
‫ﻣﻠﻜﻪ ﻭ ﻧﺠﺎﻩ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻞ ﻫﻠﻜﻪ ﺑﻬﺎ ﻳﻨﺠﺢ ﺍﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ ﻭ ﻳﻨﺠﻮ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻬﺎﺭﺏ ﻭ ﺗﻨﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﺮﻏﺎﺋﺐ‬
55
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
Certainly, piety is the key to guidance, provision
for the next world, freedom from all types of
slavery, and deliverance from all ruin. With its
help the seeker succeeds and he who makes for
safety escapes and achieves his aims.10
Taqwa helps one to reach his goals and protects him against his
enemies. In the first place, taqwa gives human beings freedom in
moral and spiritual issues, frees him from the chains of slavery of
long desires, and gives him a relief from the sufferings of greed,
envy, lust, and anger. It also indirectly gives him social freedom.
Servitude and slavery in society are the results of spiritual
slavery. One who is a slave and obedient to wealth and position
cannot live free socially. Hence, it is true to say that taqwa gives
human beings “freedom from all types of slavery.” Thus, not only
does taqwa not have a chain or restriction, but it is in fact
freedom itself.
Protecting one’s taqwa
Thinking of taqwa as a fortress and protector might make some
people proud and ignorant and they would suppose that a person
who has taqwa never makes a mistake. This may result in never
noticing the great risks for taqwa. But the fact is that, although
taqwa is a perfect state, it involves some danger as well. It is not
impossible for a person to live under the protection of taqwa and
at the same time, he himself protects taqwa too. Imam Ali (a) has
referred to both kinds of protection in the following sentence:
“You should take care of it and take care of yourselves through
it!” Thus, we must protect taqwa and it should protect us. Also,
we must seek proximity to God through taqwa and also ask God
to provide us with it. Imam Ali (a) also stated:
‫ﺍﻭﺻﻴﻜﻢ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﷲ ﺑﺘﻘﻮی ﷲ ﻓﺎﻧﻬﺎ ﺣﻖ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺟﺒﻪ‬
‫ ﻭ ﺗﺴﺘﻌﻴﻨﻮﺍ ﺑﻬﺎ‬Z‫ﻋﻠﯽ ﷲ ﺣﻘﻜﻢ ﻭ ﺍﻥ ﺗﺴﺘﻌﻴﻨﻮﺍ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ ﺑﺎ‬
‫ﻋﻠﯽ ﷲ‬
Message of Thaqalayn
56
I advise you, O' creatures of Allah, that you should
have fear of Allah because it is a right of Allah
over you and it creates your right over Allah, and
that you should seek Allah's help in it, and its help
in (meeting) Allah.11
However, the dangers that weaken taqwa must be taken into
consideration. It is seen in religious rulings that taqwa is known
as a guaranteed protection and immunity against many sins, but
there are some limits for the other sins which are more appealing.
For instance, it is not stated in religious rulings that being alone
in a place where there is a tool used for robbery, drinking wine,
or homicide,is forbidden. Or it is not forbidden to be alone in a
house at night, in which there are no obstacles for a person if he
wants to drink wine. Faith and taqwa will guarantee him
protection. But as for the sexual instinct which is stronger and
more provocative, taqwa does not guarantee it and it is forbidden
to be alone with the opposite sex because the sexual instinct is a
danger that can destroy taqwa even though taqwa is so strong.
There is a verse in a famous poem of Hafiz that whenever I come
to it, the issue I have mentioned comes to my mind, as if Hafiz
wanted to state this spiritual fact in the very sweet way of his
own:
Of coins, is it that they examination take
So that, after their own work, all the cloisterholders take?
In my sight, the counsel is that all work, friends
Should let go; and, the curl of the tress of a friend
take.
The tip of the Saki’s tress, happily the companions
take:
If the sky permits them, a little rest they take.12
57
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
Then he says:
To lovely ones, boast not of the strength of thy arm
of chastity.13
For, among this tribe, with a single mounted one, a
fortress, they take.14
In the above verse, taqwa is likened to a fence, just as Imam Ali
(a) had described. Then, it is said that the power of “the lovely
ones” is much more than this fortress and no one can cast it in
their teeth. In this corps, even a single rider can conquer a fence,
and collective attack is not needed.
The value and effect of taqwa
In addition to the dramatic effects of taqwa in the afterlife and the
fact that it is the only way of salvation for human beings from
everlasting wretchedness, taqwa has many other values and
effects in this worldly life. Imam Ali (a), who emphasized taqwa
in his instructions and urged people towards it in a very
outstanding way, has referred to numerous outcomes of taqwa.
For example, he stated:
‫ﻋﺘﻖ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻞ ﻣﻠﻜﻪ ﻭ ﻧﺠﺎﻩ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻞ ﻫﻠﻜﻪ‬
Freedom from all types of slavery, and deliverance
from all ruin.15
Or elsewhere, he stated:
‫ﻓَﺈ ِ ﱠﻥ ﺗَ ْﻘ َﻮﻯ ﱠ‬
‫ﺼ ُﺮ َﻋ َﻤﻰ ﺃَ ْﻓﺌِ َﺪﺗِ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻭ‬
َ َ‫ﷲِ ﺩ ََﻭﺍ ُء ﺩَﺍ ِء ﻗُﻠُﻮﺑِ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻭ ﺑ‬
‫ﻭﺭ ُﻛ ْﻢ َﻭ ﻁُﻬُﻮ ُﺭ‬
ُ ‫ﺻ َﻼ ُﺡ ﻓَ َﺴﺎ ِﺩ‬
َ ‫ﺽ ﺃَﺟْ َﺴﺎ ِﺩ ُﻛ ْﻢ َﻭ‬
ِ ‫ﺻ ُﺪ‬
ِ ‫ِﺷﻔَﺎ ُء َﻣ َﺮ‬
ْ
‫َﻉ َﺟﺄ ِﺷ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻭ‬
َ ‫َﺲ ﺃَ ْﻧﻔُ ِﺴ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻭ ِﺟ َﻼ ُء َﻋ َﺸﺎ ﺃَﺑ‬
ِ ‫َﺩﻧ‬
ِ ‫ْﺼ‬
ِ ‫ﺎﺭ ُﻛ ْﻢ َﻭ ﺃَ ْﻣ ُﻦ ﻓَﺰ‬
‫ﺿﻴَﺎ ُء َﺳ َﻮﺍ ِﺩ ﻅُ ْﻠ َﻤﺘِ ُﻜﻢ‬
ِ
Message of Thaqalayn
58
Certainly, fear of Allah (taqwa) is the medicine for
your hearts, sight for the blindness of your spirits,
the cure for the ailments of your bodies, the
rectifier of the evils of your breasts, the purifier of
the pollution of your minds, the light of the
darkness of your eyes, the consolation for the fear
of your heart, and the brightness for the gloom of
your ignorance.16
In fact, Imam Ali (a) holds that taqwa is beneficial for all the
difficulties and hardships of human beings. In fact, if we do not
merely consider the negative aspect for taqwa and think of it in
the same way as Imam Ali (a) did, we must agree that taqwa is
one of the pillars of a person’s life, whether in one’s personal or
social life, and that the basis of life would be unstable without it.
The value of something becomes clearer when it is known
whether or not something else could replace it. Taqwa is one of
the necessary components of life because nothing, whether it be
power, money, or law-making, can replace it.
Among our daily problems is the existence of too many rulings
and regulations which continually change. Laws and regulations
are created for special issues and then they are changed and new
ones are made. However, laws are not enough to reform the
society. Of course, there is no doubt that law itself is also a fact of
life. Aside from general divine laws, people need a series of civil
laws. But societies are not entirely reformed by them.
Restrictions are introduced by the law; thus, people should have a
kind of power to see the value of these restrictions and to accept
them. This faculty is called taqwa. It is said that the law should be
respected. This is true, but if the principles of taqwa are not
applied, can we still expect people to observe all the laws and
regulations all the time? For instance there are some problems in
our life which are officially discussed and in the media people are
asked to suggest their solutions for them. The increasing number
of people getting a divorce, the revision of the election system,
and traffic regulations are some of them. Though I may not know
59
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
all the reasons for the increase in the number of divorce, I do
know that losing taqwa is a major reason. If people did not lose
taqwa and were not so unrestrained, we would not have such a
high number of divorces. In the past, people had more difficulties
and needs in their lives, but due to their commitment to religious
and moral values, there were less cases of divorce. Certainly, the
problems we see in family life today are more than in the past.
Taqwa and faith can solve many of them. Today, we have lost
them and although our resources today are better than in the past,
we face more problems. Considering the rise in the divorce rate,
we can try to decrease it using the force of increasing the
restrictions of the law for men and women, using the force of the
regulations, the administration of justice, executive power of the
government, and by changing regulations and laws. However, all
of these options will not solve the main problem.
Regarding the issue of elections, we see that some people insist
on the view that problems in elections have arisen from flaws in
the election law that have been created during last fifty years and
are not compatible with today's needs. I am not going to defend
the present election law. It certainly has defects. But do people
act even according to the current law? Is the current law the cause
of corruption? Or is corruption happening because people do not
act even according to current law, and no one considers any limit
for himself or gives others any rights. Would the current law
allow anyone to enter a city and forcefully tell them “I am your
representative whether you accept it or not?” while people of that
city have never seen or heard of his name before? Such
corruptions cannot be stopped by simply developing or changing
the law. It is only possible when there is a kind of awareness,
faith, and taqwa among the people.
Finally, regarding the lack of commitment toward traffic laws and
speeding, does the problem exist because of existing regulations
or because of something else?
Message of Thaqalayn
60
Nowadays, we are frequently facing many social issues. People
ask why the divorce rate is rising and why people commit crimes
such as robbery and murder. Why has cheating become
common? Why has prostitution become common? It is the
weakness of faith and the destruction of the fortress of taqwa that
cause such corruptions. It is very strange that there are people
who speak and write about these questions frequently, but they
themselves cut down the roots of these concerns from the souls of
the people and lead them into moral anarchy, into destruction of
foundation of taqwa, and into impairing the immunity of taqwa
because they essentially do not believe in it. If there is no faith
and taqwa - we take refuge with God - people become more
vulnerable and may even consider stealing, cheating, and
committing crimes as acceptable acts.
Taqwa and health
As said above, Imam Ali (a) has stated about taqwa:
Certainly, fear of Allah (taqwa) is … the cure for
the ailments of your bodies…17
It might be asked what is the relationship between taqwa (a
spiritual issue) and physical health? Of course, taqwa is not a
tablet and medicine, but if taqwa does not exist, a physician is not
good enough to heal the ailment of someone who is in need of
taqwa. A person who has taqwa is satisfied with his limits and his
rights, feels calm and confident, and has inner peace. This results
in a healthier heart; tensions will not cause him to suffer from
stomach ulcers and from pain in his intestines. He will not
become weak and infirm because of being liberal in sexual
relations. The well-being of his body, social life, and spirit all
depend on taqwa.
Taqwa and insight
Taqwa leads to clear-sightedness and insight as it is stated in the
holy Qur’an:
61
Winter 2011, Vol. 11, No. 4
…If you are wary of Allah, He shall appoint a
criterion for you… (8:29)
This verse illustrates that insightfulness is among the important
effects of taqwa and we can say that this has paved the way for
the mystic journey.
Taqwa and deliverance
The other effect of taqwa is that the one who has it can get
himself out of predicaments and hardships. The Qur’an says:
…And whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make a
way out for him and provide for him from whence
he does not reckon. And whoever puts his trust in
Allah, He will suffice him. Indeed Allah carries
through His command. Certainly Allah has set a
measure for everything. (65: 2-3)
11
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 92, p. 439.
2
Ibid, vol. 99, p. 55.
3
Al-Misbah by al-Kaf ‘ami, p.588.
4
Gulistan, Sa‘di, Ch.V, Story no. 17, trans. by Sir Edwin Arnold.
5
Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 114.
6
Ibid, Sermon 16.
7
Ibid. Sermon 189.
8
Ibid. Sermon 155.
9
Ibid. Sermon 233.
10
Ibid. Sermon 228.
11
Ibid. Sermon 190.
Message of Thaqalayn
62
12
Ghazal of Hafez Shirazi. Original translation by Henry Wilberforce Clarke
(1840-1905) [vol. II, p. 387, Ghazel no. 209 (253), 1891.] Part 2 (version 1.03)
Compiled and Corrected by Dr. Behrouz Homayoun Far, Ghazal no. 185,
p.172. An online version can be found at:
http://www2.enel.ucalgary.ca/People/far/hobbies/iran/hafez.html.
13
Hafiz uses the term “parhiz” which means here taqwa:
‫ﻛﻪ ﺩﺭ ﺍﻳﻦ ﺧﻴﻞ ﺣﺼﺎﺭی ﺑﻪ ﺳﻮﺍﺭی ﮔﻴﺮﻧﺪ‬
14
Ibid.
15
Ibid. Sermon 228.
16
Ibid. Sermon 197.
17
Ibid.
‫ﻗﻮﺕ ﺑﺎﺯﻭی ﭘﺮﻫﻴﺰ ﺑﻪ ﺧﻮﺑﺎﻥ ﻣﻔﺮﻭﺵ‬